CULTIVATION 19 



and those that rent their strips do so off small 

 proprietors. 



For the parish of Epworth I was given the 

 following list of holdings, compiled from the rate- 

 book some years ago, and still approximately 

 correct : 



I.e., out of 254 holders, 89 per cent, hold under 

 50 acres ; out of 5,741 acres, 3,400 are said to be 

 held by small farmers. 



An old resident in the parish informed me that 

 nearly every farmer holding larger areas in the 

 district had started life as a labourer. 



Cultivation. 



The mainstay of the small holders here is 

 evidently potato cultivation. On some of the 

 most suitable land potatoes are grown every year ; 

 on many plots potatoes and wheat are grown 

 alternately ; the usual course, however, is potatoes, 

 wheat, oats, roots ; or potatoes, wheat, oats (or 

 barley), seeds, turnips. 



On the larger farms celery is extensively grown 

 between potatoes, but I did not find that small 

 holders went in for it, or for any special market- 

 garden crop to any extent. Some carrots, cabbage, 



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